I come from Surrey, and a lot of refugees settle in Surrey. It's a little more affordable compared to the rest of the Vancouver area. As the city of Surrey has pointed out a number of times to me—I've talked to the councillors and I've talked to a number of refugee families, especially the government-sponsored refugees; we've talked about a family of five coming in—often, government-sponsored refugees come from camps where they may have been for many years. When they arrive here, they have little or nothing at all besides what they're wearing. It is a burden for them when we give them a bill and say, “Okay, before you get here, here's a bill for your travel costs”. That is before they even have a chance to breathe in this country.
What is the justification for the Government of Canada or the Department of Citizenship and Immigration to give them this bill before they arrive? If we're trying to integrate these government-sponsored refugees, what justification is there for us to give them a bill before they even have a chance to figure out where they've arrived?